Iraq Bomb Blasts: Explosions At Baghdad Bird Market Kill At Least 5

BAGHDAD — Three bombs struck near simultaneously at a busy bird market in eastern Baghdad on Friday morning, killing five people and wounding dozens, police and health officials said.

Two police officials said the bird market in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City was crowded with shoppers when the bombs exploded at around 7:00 a.m. At least 37 people were wounded in the blasts, officials said.

A hospital official confirmed the casualty toll.

Every Friday, thousands of Iraqis converge on pet markets to shop and spend some relaxing family time during the Muslim weekend. The markets are one of the favorite targets for militants who seek to inflict large numbers of causalities.

In the Shiite neighborhood of Khazimiyah in northern Baghdad, gunmen killed an Iraqi police captain, his wife, two daughters and son at the family's home, officials said.

All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Violence has ebbed in Iraq, but insurgents carry out frequent attacks on security forces and civilians in an attempt to undermine the Shiite-led government.

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[c1n9r6v3]

04:18 AM on 05/19/2012

_♪ ♫ `
Desmond has a barrow in the market-place;
Molly is the singer with the band;
Three explosions rocked the busy market-place;
Blowing off Molly's pretty face and Desmond's hand;
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes onnn...bomb.
La-La, how the life goes on. ` ♪ ♫_

[Stavo]

02:33 PM on 05/18/2012

Why even deal with these hominoids species? Treat like the animals they are....sick....sick pathetic creatures. Killing their own kind....all on the name of vengence and of course, their sick frigging excuse of a religion.

[tnesf]

02:18 PM on 05/18/2012

But Islam is such a "peaceful" religion.

[Cary D]

03:09 PM on 05/18/2012

The history of Christianity isn't much better.

[Jack113]

02:08 PM on 05/18/2012

The Iraq war is far from over and never will be until terrorist America gets out.

[Stavo]

02:33 PM on 05/18/2012

Here's to hoping you are standing in one of those markets and you are vaporized....for no real reason, than they can do that to you.

[Jack113]

09:57 PM on 05/20/2012

Terrorists like you stavo should be made to go and support the effort with more than lip service.

[Leon Engelun]

01:19 PM on 05/18/2012

No big deal. It is Sadr's problem.

[dingbateye]

11:16 AM on 05/18/2012

Who cares anymore what those sand-monkeys do to themselves?

[heikhali]

10:52 AM on 05/18/2012

My, iraq is tired of being a US colony, under the rule of a US puppet government.
It's time to actually leave Iraq for americans.

[spytheweb]

10:35 AM on 05/18/2012

Looks like the US plan to destabilize the ME is working.

[baydolphins]

10:34 AM on 05/18/2012

what a shame we can't get the Iraqis and the Afghans to coordinate their bombing between themselves...we could rid the world of the whole bunch on one day...hell, we could even have a holiday named after it

[soldier123]

11:17 AM on 05/18/2012

fanned u

[carbar4647]

10:33 AM on 05/18/2012

Five more that no longer hate us.

[uk progressive]

01:39 PM on 05/18/2012

I wonder what reasons people could possibly have to hate the US?

[pasquamar]

10:23 AM on 05/18/2012

And what does Mitt Pomney want to do about this? Does he want us back in Iraq? I also wonder if he owns Stocks in Haliburton!

[no dash american]

11:29 AM on 05/18/2012

do you have a 401K? If you do you probably have stock in Halliburton

[uk progressive]

10:16 AM on 05/18/2012

I bet the Iraqis curse the day the US and UK came to give them "freedom and democracy."

[no dash american]

11:30 AM on 05/18/2012

Because it was so much better under Saddam

[uk progressive]

12:10 PM on 05/18/2012

Well if you won't to compare US policy to that of the brutal evil dictator saddam Hussein then be my guest.

[memito]

01:17 PM on 05/18/2012

Yes it was dummy.

[JMD400]

10:03 AM on 05/18/2012

This cannot have happened. Obama flew all the way over there to tell us how he
personally ended all of this. He is so great. Just ask him. Obama also claims to
be modest, he said he is so modest, because he has so much to be modest about.
Say it isn't so Mr. B. H. Obama.

[jfair80]

10:43 AM on 05/18/2012

The sectarian disaster that is Iraq has nothing do do with Obama visiting and everything to do with bad intelligence, terrible war planning, and short sighted foreign policy strategy.

[Guy Fratianni]

11:34 AM on 05/18/2012

Maybe you should read more new's then being fed right wing talking points. First off Obama didn't end the war he follwed the treaty that Bush put in place called SOFA.....second he didn't create this mess the last President did and third....grow up.

[dkandycrown]

01:34 PM on 05/18/2012

Maybe you should
President Obama Has Ended the War in Iraq
Last year, the President made progress toward achieving that goal. He brought an end to the combat mission in Iraq

[Cheapthrills]

09:53 AM on 05/18/2012

What is the difference between su.i.ci.de bombers and drones?
Nothing.
Ci.vi.li.ans are ki.l.l.ed

[BCarlton]

10:26 AM on 05/18/2012

Neither drones or suicide bombers were used in this attack...........

And what's with the periods in between the letters of suicide, civilians, and killed?

[uk progressive]

10:29 AM on 05/18/2012

Exactly right, one of the greatest politicians(UK) in my life time tony benn said "there is no oral difference between a stealth bomber and a suicide bomber. They Both kill innocent people for political reasons."

[bryan broome]

09:43 AM on 05/18/2012

I am so glad that we "fixed" this country. All is well.

[tnesf]

02:26 PM on 05/18/2012

And this November we'll all have the opportunity to "fix" Obama.